Exercises are a good way to improve your embellishments. But basic exercises tend to be monotonous and it’s easy to lose focus. You may also find that something you can play well in an exercise becomes rough once you find it in a tune. An easy way to solve this problem is to find a tune that has a lot of the embellishments you want to practice.

In this session we zoom in and break apart compound time marches. We examine each of the 4 main rhythms used to make up all such marches and then attempt to ground our syllable based technique on that rhythmic framework. A must for all who seek to play well in this idiom.

In this session we take a look at the Peter MacLeod tune; Pipe Major Sam Scott. A classic 4-parted 6/8 march that is easy to memorize but forces us to come to "grips" with our low hand movements. I know, I know - horrible joke aside - this is a fun tune with a very catchy melody good for any solo or band repertoire!

New to Dojo U?

Today's Live Sessions

Monday, January 21st

8:00pm EST: Beginner's Hour! (with Andy Fusco)

Tune in to today's beginner hour (late night edition!), and get some great feedback and insight regarding the beginner material you've been working on. Stay tuned day to day, and watch your ability skyrocket!